Method and apparatus for communication between hearing assistance devices in a bluetooth network

ABSTRACT

A hearing assistance system provides for wireless communication between hearing assistance devices that are in a Bluetooth connection with a host device. In various embodiments, during a Bluetooth connection interval, one or more time slots are used for communication between the host device and one or more of the hearing assistance devices, while one or more additional time slots are reserved for communication between the hearing assistance devices.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/937,013, filed Jul. 8, 2013, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to wireless networks and, moreparticularly, to systems and methods for providing hearing assistancedevices with wireless communication between each other while in aBluetooth connection with a host device.

BACKGROUND

Hearing assistance devices include a variety of devices such asassistive listening devices, cochlear implants, and hearing aids.Hearing aids are useful in improving the hearing and speechcomprehension of people who have hearing loss by selectively amplifyingcertain frequencies according to the hearing loss of the subject. Ahearing aid typically includes a microphone, an amplifier and a receiver(speaker). The microphone receives sound (acoustic signal) and convertsit to an electrical signal and sends it to the amplifier. The amplifierincreases the power of the signal, in proportion to the hearing loss,and then sends it to the ear through the receiver. Cochlear devices mayemploy electrodes to transmit sound to the patient.

Wireless communication technology such as Bluetooth provides hearingassistance devices, such as hearing aids, with capability of wirelesslyconnecting to host devices for programming, controlling, and/orstreaming audio to the hearing assistance devices. Such host devices maybe implemented as dedicated host devices or implemented ingeneral-purpose devices such as telephones, television sets, computers,and music players. To provide a listener with sound reflecting arealistic acoustic environment using multiple hearing assistancedevices, such as a pair of hearing aids for the listener's left andright ears, there is a need for providing wireless communication betweenthe host device and each of the hearing assistance devices as well asbetween the hearing assistance devices.

SUMMARY

A hearing assistance system provides for wireless communication betweenhearing assistance devices that are in a Bluetooth connection with ahost device. In various embodiments, during a Bluetooth connectioninterval, one or more time slots are used for communication between thehost device and one or more of the hearing assistance devices, while oneor more additional time slots are reserved for communication between thehearing assistance devices.

In one embodiment, a hearing assistance system includes a host device, aplurality of hearing assistance devices, one or more first wirelesscommunication links, one or more second wireless communication links,and a network control system. The host device includes a master controlcircuit. The plurality of hearing assistance devices includes a slavecontrol circuit in each of the hearing assistance devices. The one ormore first wireless communication links are each configured tocommunicatively couple a hearing assistance device of the plurality ofhearing assistance devices to the host device using a Bluetoothprotocol. The one or more second wireless communication links are eachconfigured to communicative couple a hearing assistance device of theplurality of hearing assistance devices to another hearing assistancedevice of the plurality of hearing assistance devices. The networkcontrol system, which is implemented in the master control circuit andthe slave control circuits, is configured to assign one or more firsttime slots for the communication over each first link of the one or morefirst wireless communication links within a Bluetooth connectioninterval and one or more second time slots for the communication overeach second link of the one or more second wireless communication linkswithin the Bluetooth connection interval. The first and second timeslots are non-overlapping in time.

In one embodiment, a method for wireless communication in a hearingassistance system is provided. One or more first wireless communicationlinks each communicatively coupling a hearing assistance device of aplurality of hearing assistance devices to a host device using aBluetooth protocol are provided. One or more second wirelesscommunication links each communicatively coupling a hearing assistancedevice of the plurality of hearing assistance devices to another hearingassistance device of the plurality of hearing assistance devices areprovided. One or more first time slots for communication over each firstlink of the one or more first wireless communication links during aBluetooth connection interval and one or more second time slots forcommunication over each second link of the one or more second wirelesscommunication links during the Bluetooth connection interval areassigned. The first and second time slots are non-overlapping in time.

This Summary is an overview of some of the teachings of the presentapplication and not intended to be an exclusive or exhaustive treatmentof the present subject matter. Further details about the present subjectmatter are found in the detailed description and appended claims. Thescope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims andtheir legal equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a systemincluding wireless communication networks providing communications formultiple devices.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a master deviceof the system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a slave deviceof the system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a hearing aidsystem.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a pair ofhearing aids of the hearing aid system.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method allowingfor communication between slave devices in a network.

FIG. 7 is a timing diagram illustrating an embodiment of time slots forcommunication during a Bluetooth connection interval.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the present subject matter refersto subject matter in the accompanying drawings which show, by way ofillustration, specific aspects and embodiments in which the presentsubject matter may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice thepresent subject matter. References to “an”, “one”, or “various”embodiments in this disclosure are not necessarily to the sameembodiment, and such references contemplate more than one embodiment.The following detailed description is demonstrative and not to be takenin a limiting sense. The scope of the present subject matter is definedby the appended claims, along with the full scope of legal equivalentsto which such claims are entitled.

This document discusses a system including multiple devicescommunicatively coupled with each other using wireless technology. Anexample of the system includes a master device communicating with eachdevice of a plurality of slave devices using a Bluetooth protocol, whichdoes not provide for the slave devices to communicate with one anotherwithout going through the master device. However, direct communicationbetween the slave devices may be desirable. For example, a hearingassistance system includes a host device as the master device and aplurality of hearing assistance devices, such as a pair of left andright hearing aids, each as one of the slave devices. Directcommunication between the hearing assistance devices, such as directear-to-ear communication between the left and right hearing aids, allowsfor sound processing that provides the listener with realistic soundeffects. The present system provides for wireless communication betweenthe slave devices while the slave devices are in a Bluetooth connectionwith the master device. In various embodiments, bandwidth is reserved toallow for wireless communication between the slave devices a Bluetoothnetwork. In various embodiments using Bluetooth technology, one or moretime slots are assigned for communication between the master device andone or more of the slave devices within a Bluetooth connection interval,while one or more additional time slots within the same Bluetoothconnection interval are reserved for communication between the slavedevices using the Bluetooth protocol or another communication protocol.In various embodiments, the present system allows the slave devices tocommunicate with each other using little or no media access control(MAC) layer support while in a Bluetooth connection with the masterdevice. In one embodiment, in which the present system includes ahearing aid system, the left and right hearing aids communicate with oneanother for exchanging audio information or other data while in aBluetooth connection with a hearing aid host device, such as asmartphone.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a system 100including wireless communication networks providing communications formultiple devices. System 100 includes a master device 102 and aplurality of slave devices 104 (including 104A-N, where N can be anyinteger greater than 1). One example of system 100 includes a hearingassistance system, with master device 102 including a host device andthe plurality of slave devices 104 including a plurality of hearingassistance devices, such as hearing aids.

System 100 includes a first network 110 and a second network 120. Firstnetwork 110 includes master device 102, slave devices 104, and wirelesscommunication links 112 (including 112A-N each coupled to thecorresponding slave device 104A-N). Master device 102 includes a mastercontrol circuit 103. Slave devices 104 each include a slave controlcircuit, i.e., slave control circuit 105A-N each included in thecorresponding device of slave device 104A-N. Wireless communicationlinks 112 each communicatively couple one of slave devices 104 to masterdevice 102. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, link 112Acommunicatively couples slave devices 104A to master device 102, link112B communicatively couples slave devices 104B to master device 102,and link 112N communicatively couples slave devices 104N to masterdevice 102.

In one embodiment, first network 110 is a piconet providing for wirelesscommunication via wireless communication links 112 using a Bluetoothprotocol. In one embodiment, the piconet is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE)network that provides for wireless communication via wirelesscommunication links 112 using a BLE protocol.

In various embodiments, first network 110 provides for communicationbetween master device 102 and each of slave devices 104 via wirelesscommunication links 112, without providing for communication directlybetween any two of slave devices 104. One example is piconet 110 inwhich the Bluetooth protocol does not provide for such directcommunication between the slave devices. Thus, system 100 includessecond network 120 to provide for direct communication between slavedevices 104. Second network 120 includes slave devices 104 and wirelesscommunication links 122 (including 122AB, 122AN, 122BN, etc.). Wirelesscommunication links 122 each communicatively coupling a slave device ofslave devices 104 to another slave device of slave device 104. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 1, link 122AB communicatively couplesslave devices 104A to slave device 104B, link 122AN communicativelycouples slave devices 104A to slave device 104N, and link 122BNcommunicatively couples slave devices 104B to slave device 104N.

In one embodiment, second network 120 is another piconet providing forwireless communication via wireless communication links 122 using theBluetooth protocol. One of slave device 104 may act as the master devicefor piconet 120. In one embodiment, piconet 120 is a BLE network thatprovides for wireless communication via wireless communication links 122using the BLE protocol. In another embodiment, second network 120provides for wireless communication via wireless communication links 122using a proprietary protocol. In various embodiments, second network 120provides for wireless communication via wireless communication links 122using, for example, code division multiple access (CDMA), time divisionmultiple access (TDMA), frequency-division multiple access (FDMA), ororthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) technology.

In various embodiments, first network 110 provides any one or more ofwireless communication links 112, and second network 120 includes anytwo or more of slave devices 104 with corresponding one or more wirelesscommunication links 122. For example, master device 102 may communicatewith each of slave device 104 directly via links 112, or communicatewith one of slave device 104 directly via the corresponding link andcommunicate with other slave devices via links 122 through that slavedevice (e.g., communicate with slave device 104A directly via thecorresponding link 112A and communicate with slave devices 104B-N vialinks 122 through slave device 102A).

System 100 includes a network control system including master controlcircuit 103 and slave control circuits 105. The network control systemcontrols timing and frequency of communication over each link ofwireless communication links 112 and each link of wireless communicationlinks 122. In one embodiment, the network control system assigns one ormore first time slots for the communication over each link of wirelesscommunication links 112 within a Bluetooth connection interval and oneor more second time slots for the communication over each link of thewireless communication links 122 within the Bluetooth connectinginterval. The first and second time slots are non-overlapping in time.Thus, when first network 110 is a Bluetooth network, the communicationover wireless communication links 122 is performed during time slots notused by the communication over wireless communication links 112 duringthe Bluetooth connection interval, and thus does not affect thecommunication in first network 110 that follows the Bluetooth protocol.In various embodiments, functions of the network control system may bedistributed in master control circuit 103 and slave control circuits 105in various manners based on design considerations.

In various embodiments, master control circuit 103 may controlcommunication over wireless communication links 112 in a manner allowingfor concurrent communication over wireless communication links 122, andslave control circuits 105 controls communication over wirelesscommunication links 122. For example, master control circuit 103 mayassign one or more first time slots for the communication over the eachlink of wireless communication links 112 during a Bluetooth connectioninterval while allowing for one or more second time slots for thecommunication over to be assigned to each link of wireless communicationlinks 122 during the Bluetooth connecting interval. The first and secondtime slots are non-overlapping in time. In one example, master controlcircuit 103 further assigns the one or more second time slots. Inanother example, at least one of slave control circuit 105 assigns theone or more second time slots.

In various embodiments, the network control system also controls thefrequency of communication in networks 110 and 120. Master controlcircuit 103 allocates a channel map and a hop sequence in addition toassigning the time slots to each of slave devices 104. In variousembodiments, the channel maps for slave devices 104 are either the samefor each salve device or known to each slave device, and the hopsequence is either synchronized or known by each slave device incommunication with the master device. Slave devices 104 are configuredto communicate with each other or with other peripheral devices. Invarious embodiments, when the time slots for communication to and fromslave devices 104 are allocated as consecutive time slots in theBluetooth connection, or are known for each salve device, the available(remaining, unused) time slots are used for proprietary communicationoutside of the Bluetooth connection. In order to utilize the physicallayer state machines, the packets will have a structure similar to thatof the Bluetooth connection.

The BLE protocol allows a master device to maintain connections with upto seven slave devices. Thus, when first network 110 provides forcommunication using the BLE technology, it can include master device 102communicating with up to seven slave devices 104. In practice, thenumber of slave device may be lower than seven. When system 100 is ahearing assistance system including a hearing aid host device and a pairof left and right hearing aids, only two wireless links, one between thehost device and the left hearing aid and the other between the hostdevice and the right hearing aid, need to be maintained in first network110. The host device acts as master device 102 and the left and righthearing aids act as slave devices 104. In various embodiments, masterdevice 102 is configured to be the network controller using its linklayer media access protocol to assign time slots and frequencies toslave devices 104. The Bluetooth protocol uses adaptive frequencyhopping (AFH) to help mitigate interference and for system 100 to beregulatory compliant. In addition, other devices in the piconet 110 maybe assigned time slots to receive and transmit information to and frommaster device 102. This multiple access scheme is known as time divisionmultiple access (TDMA). The Bluetooth connection interval is used toallow slave devices 104 to be awake at certain intervals to receiveinformation from, or send information to, the host device. It alsofacilitates a much lower duty cycle since slave devices 104 can go tosleep between connection intervals.

In various embodiments, the circuit of each element of system 100including its various embodiments discussed in this document, forexample master control circuit 103 and slave control circuits 105 andtheir various embodiments as discussed in this document, may beimplemented using hardware, software, firmware or a combination ofhardware, software and/or firmware. In various embodiments, the networkcontrol system including master control circuit 103 and slave controlcircuits 105 may be implemented using one or more circuits specificallyconstructed to perform one or more functions discussed in this documentor one or more general-purpose circuits programmed to perform such oneor more functions. Examples of such general-purpose circuit can includea microprocessor or a portion thereof, a microcontroller or portionsthereof, and a programmable logic circuit or a portion thereof.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a master device202, which represent an embodiment of master device 102. Master device202 includes a master communication circuit 205, which provides masterdevice 202 with wireless communication capabilities. Mastercommunication circuit 205 includes a master control circuit 203 and amaster telemetry circuit 206. Master telemetry circuit 206 transmits andreceives signals using a link of wireless communication links 112.Master control circuit 203 controls the transmission and receiving ofthe signals and represents an embodiment of master control circuit 103.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a slave device304, which represent an embodiment of one of slave devices 104. Slavedevice 304 includes a slave communication circuit 307, which providesslave device 304 with wireless communication capabilities. Slavecommunication circuit 307 includes a slave control circuit 305 and aslave telemetry circuit 308. Slave telemetry circuit 308 transmits andreceives signals using a link of wireless communication links 112 andone or more links of wireless communication links 122. Slave controlcircuit 305 controls the transmission and receiving of the signals andrepresents an embodiment of slave control circuit 105.

In one embodiment, master control circuit 203 assigns one or more timeslots for the communication over each link of wireless communicationlinks 112 and 122 according to a timing sequence. In one embodiment,master control circuit 203 also allocates one or more frequency channelsfor the communication over each link of wireless communication links 112and 122 according to a frequency channel map and a frequency hopsequence. Slave control circuit 205 controls communication over eachlink of wireless communication link(s) 122 using the one or more timeslots and frequency channel assigned by master control circuit 203.

In another embodiment, master control circuit 203 assigns one or morefirst time slots for the communication over each link of wirelesscommunication link 112 according to a first timing sequence. In oneembodiment, master control circuit 203 also allocate a first frequencychannel for the communication over each link of wireless communicationlink 112 according to a first frequency channel map and a firstfrequency hop sequence. Slave control circuit 205 assigns one or moresecond time slots for the communication over each link of wirelesscommunication link 122 based on the one or more first time slots (i.e.,occupied time slot(s)) and a second timing sequence. In one embodiment,slave control circuit 205 also allocates a second frequency channel forthe communication over each link of wireless communication link 122based on a second frequency channel map and a second frequency hopsequence.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a hearing aidsystem 400, which represents an embodiment of system 100. System 400includes a first network 410 and a second network 420. First network 410includes a hearing aid host device 402, a pair of a left hearing aid404L and a right hearing aid 404R, and wireless communication links 412Land 412R. Hearing aid host device 402 functions as a master device infirst network 410 and may include master device 202. Left and righthearing aids 404L-R each function as a slave device in first network 410and may include slave device 304. Examples of host device 402 include asmartphone, a computer, an audio streaming device, and a dedicatedhearing aid host device. Wireless communication link 412Lcommunicatively couples left hearing aid 404L to host device 402.Wireless communication link 412R communicatively couples right hearingaid 404R to host device 402. In one embodiment, first network 410 is apiconet providing for wireless communication via wireless communicationlinks 412L-R using a Bluetooth protocol. In one embodiment, the piconetis a BLE network that provides for wireless communication via wirelesscommunication links 412L-R using a BLE protocol.

In various embodiments, first network 410 provides for communicationbetween host device 402 and each of left and right hearing aids 404L-Rvia wireless communication link 412L-R, without providing forcommunication directly between left and right hearing aids 404L-R. Oneexample is the piconet in which the Bluetooth protocol does not providefor such direct communication between left and right hearing aids404L-R. Thus, system 400 includes second network 420 to provide fordirect communication between left and right hearing aids 404L-R. Secondnetwork 420 includes left and right hearing aids 404L-R and a wirelesscommunication link 422LR. Wireless communication link 422LRcommunicatively couples left and right hearing aids 404L-R to eachother.

In one embodiment, second network 420 is another piconet providing forwireless communication via wireless communication link 422LR using theBluetooth protocol. One of hearing aids 404L-R may act as the masterdevice for second network 420. In one embodiment, piconet 420 is a BLEnetwork that provides for wireless communication via wirelesscommunication link 422LR using the BLE protocol. In another embodiment,second network 420 provides for wireless communication via wirelesscommunication link 422LR using a proprietary protocol. In variousembodiments, second network 420 provides for wireless communication viawireless communication link 422LR using, for example, CDMA, TDMA, FDMA,or OFDM technology.

In one embodiment, host device 402 assigns both hearing aids 404L-Rconsecutive time slots and uses the same frequency for each of hearingaids 404L-R in any given connection interval. Hearing aids 404L-R hop tothe same frequencies at around the same time frame. In an idleconnection (e.g., a connection for low data rate information ormaintaining synchronization), there may be a significant amount of “deadtime” during which bandwidth is not used for the Bluetooth communicationover wireless communication links 412L-R. Within this “dead time” it maybe possible for other communication, such as the communication overwireless communication link 422LR, to take place. In this case hearingaids 404L-R may communicate with each other, such as in an ear to earcommunication through which hearing aids 404L-R can exchange audio orother data. If each of hearing aids 404L-R knows that they are alreadyon the same frequency and the relative time of their sleep wake cycles,they can use the bandwidth not used by the Bluetooth communication tocommunicate. In this case one of hearing aids 404L-R may act as masterand can use a communication similar to that which is used in Bluetoothor BLE communication to better utilize the protocol engines on theBluetooth ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits). It is alsopossible to use a proprietary protocol to communicate between hearingaids 404L-R. Only a minor modification to the Bluetooth host device isneeded to facilitate this communication between hearing aids 404L-Rand/or other networked devices.

In one embodiment, frequency hopping is synchronized between hearingaids 404L-R. Hearing aids 404L-R are each given the same frequency map,the same starting frequency, and the same hop interval. In oneembodiment (e.g., a classic Bluetooth protocol), hearing aids 404L-R areeach given the same hop instructions. The time slots for hearing aids404L-R are consecutive, with a slot used by left hearing aid 404L andthe immediately adjacent slot used by right hearing aid 404R. An exampleof such time slots is illustrated in FIG. 7.

In another embodiment, hearing aids 404L-R are independently controlled.Hearing aids 404L-R are each provided with knowledge of the frequencymap, hop sequence, and time slot of the other device(s) in first network410 and second network 420 in order to facilitate communication. Thisapproach requires greater current consumption because the devices musthop to meet each other, communicate, and hop back to where the hostdevice is by the next connection interval.

Other embodiments are also available using various proprietary multipleaccess techniques and modulation schemes. In various embodiments, ansimpler approach uses the same packet time slots and the same packetsizes allowed for the packets in a “normal communication mode”, whilemore complicated approach may allow more time slots to be allocated forstandard and/or non-standard communication protocols without deviatingfrom the present subject matter.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of hearing aid set504 including a pair of a left hearing aid 504L and a right hearing aid504R. Left hearing aid 504L represents an embodiment of left hearing aid404L and includes a microphone 524L, a wireless communication circuit507L, a processing circuit 525L, and a receiver 526L. Microphone 524Lreceives sounds from the environment of the hearing aid wearer. Wirelesscommunication circuit 507L represents an embodiment of slavecommunication circuit 307 and wirelessly communicates with host device402 and/or right hearing aid 504R, including receiving an audio signalfrom host device 402 directly or through right hearing aid 504R.Processing circuit 525L processes the sounds received by microphone 524Land/or the audio signal received by wireless communication circuit 507Lto produce a left output sound. Receiver 526L transmits the left outputsound to the left ear canal of the hearing aid wearer.

Right hearing aid 504R represents an embodiment of right hearing aid404R and includes a microphone 524R, a wireless communication circuit507R, a processing circuit 525R, and a receiver 526R. Microphone 524Rreceives sounds from the environment of the hearing aid wearer. Wirelesscommunication circuit 507R represents an embodiment of slavecommunication circuit 307 and wirelessly communicates with host device402 and/or left hearing aid 504L, including receiving an audio signalfrom host device 402 directly or through left hearing aid 504L.Processing circuit 525R processes the sounds received by microphone 524Rand/or the audio signal received by wireless communication circuit 507Rto produce a right output sound. Receiver 526R transmits the rightoutput sound to the right ear canal of the hearing aid wearer.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method 600 thatallows for communication between slave devices in a network. In oneembodiment, method 600 is performed by system 100, including its variousembodiments discussed in this document. The network control system,including various embodiments of master control circuit 103 and slavecontrol circuits 105, is configured to perform method 600.

At 602, one or more first wireless communication links eachcommunicatively coupling a slave device of a plurality of slave devicesto a master devices are provided. In one embodiment, the plurality ofslave devices includes a plurality of hearing assistance devices, andthe master device includes a host device for the plurality of hearingassistance devices. In one embodiment, the one or more first wirelesscommunication links each communicatively couple a hearing assistancedevice of the plurality of hearing assistance devices to the host deviceusing a Bluetooth protocol. In one embodiment, the Bluetooth protocol isa BLE protocol. In one embodiment, the plurality of hearing assistancedevices includes a pair of hearing aids for delivering sounds to ahearing aid wearer's left and right ears, and the host device is ahearing aid host device. In various embodiments, the hearing aid hostdevice may be implemented as a dedicated device or in a smartphone, acomputer, a music player, or an audio streaming device.

At 604, one or more second wireless communication links eachcommunicatively coupling a slave device of the plurality of hearingassistance devices to another slave device of the plurality of slavedevices are provided. In one embodiment, the one or more second wirelesscommunication links each communicatively couple a hearing assistancedevice of the plurality of hearing assistance devices to another hearingassistance device of the plurality of hearing assistance devices. In oneembodiment, the one or more first wireless communication links and theone or more second wireless communication links are both provided usingthe Bluetooth protocol, such as the BLE protocol. In another embodiment,the one or more first wireless communication links are provided usingthe Bluetooth protocol, and the one or more second wirelesscommunication links are provided using a proprietary protocol.

At 606, one or more first time slots for communication over each firstlink of the one or more first wireless communication links and one ormore second time slots for communication over each second link of theone or more second wireless communication links are assigned. The firstand second time slots are non-overlapping in time. In one embodiment,the one or more first time slots and the one or more second time slotsare assigned within a Bluetooth connection interval. In one embodiment,the one or more first time slots and the one or more second time slotsare assigned by the master device according to a timing sequence. One ormore frequency channels for the communication over the each of the oneor more first wireless communication links and each of the secondwireless communication links are also allocated by the master deviceaccording to a frequency channel map and a frequency hop sequence. Inanother embodiment, the one or more first time slots are assigned by themaster device according to a first timing sequence, and the one or moresecond time slots are assigned by a slave device of the plurality ofslave devices according to a second timing sequence. One or more firstfrequency channels for the communication over the one or more firstwireless communication links are allocated by the master deviceaccording to a first frequency channel map and a first frequency hopsequence. One or more second frequency channels for the communicationover the one or more second wireless communication links are assigned bya slave device of the plurality of slave devices based on a secondfrequency channel map and a second frequency hop sequence.

FIG. 7 is a timing diagram illustrating an embodiment of time slots forcommunication during a Bluetooth connection interval. For the purpose ofillustration rather than restriction, the timing diagram is forcommunications in a network including a master device and two slavedevices. In various embodiments, the illustrated time slot assignmentmay be applied to a network with two or more slave devices, with thelimit set by the duration of the Bluetooth connection interval.

In the illustrated embodiment, a first time slot (SLOT 1) allows forcommunication between the master device and slave device 1, includingdata transmission (TX) by the master device and receiving (RX) by slavedevice 1 and data transmission (TX) by slave device 1 and receiving (RX)by the master device. A second time slot (SLOT 2) allows forcommunication between the master device and slave device 2, includingdata transmission (TX) by the master device and receiving (RX) by slavedevice 2 and data transmission (TX) by slave device 2 and receiving (RX)by the master device. A third time slot (SLOT 3) allows forcommunication between slave device 1 and slave device 2, including datatransmission (TX) by slave device 1 and receiving (RX) by slave device 2and data transmission (TX) by slave device 2 and receiving (RX) by slavedevice 1. When applied to system 100, for example, the first and secondtime slots allow for communication over wireless communication links112, and the third time slot allow for communication over one ofwireless communication links 122. When applied to system 400, forexample, the first and second time slots allow for communication betweenhearing aid host device 402 and each of left hearing aid 404L and righthearing aid 404R, and the third time slot allow for communicationbetween left hearing aid 404L and right hearing aid 404R.

The present subject matter is demonstrated for hearing assistancedevices, including hearing aids, including but not limited to,behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC),receiver-in-canal (RIC), or completely-in-the-canal (CIC) type hearingaids. It is understood that behind-the-ear type hearing aids may includedevices that reside substantially behind the ear or over the ear. Suchdevices may include hearing aids with receivers associated with theelectronics portion of the behind-the-ear device, or hearing aids of thetype having receivers in the ear canal of the user, including but notlimited to receiver-in-canal (RIC) or receiver-in-the-ear (RITE)designs. The present subject matter can also be used in hearingassistance devices generally, such as cochlear implant type hearingdevices. It is understood that other hearing assistance devices notexpressly stated herein may be used in conjunction with the presentsubject matter.

The methods illustrated in this disclosure are not intended to beexclusive of other methods within the scope of the present subjectmatter. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, upon readingand comprehending this disclosure, other methods within the scope of thepresent subject matter. The above-identified embodiments, and portionsof the illustrated embodiments, are not necessarily mutually exclusive.These embodiments, or portions thereof, can be combined. In variousembodiments, the methods are implemented using a data signal embodied ina carrier wave or propagated signal, that represents a sequence ofinstructions which, when executed by one or more processors cause theprocessor(s) to perform the respective method. In various embodiments,the methods are implemented as a set of instructions contained on acomputer-accessible medium capable of directing a processor to performthe respective method. In various embodiments, the medium is a magneticmedium, an electronic medium, or an optical medium.

The above detailed description is intended to be illustrative, and notrestrictive. Other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reading and understanding the above description. The scope ofthe invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to theappended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which suchclaims are entitled.

1. (canceled)
 2. A hearing assistance system for wireless communicationbetween a master device in a network and a plurality of other devices inthe network using a Bluetooth protocol, the hearing assistance systemcomprising: a pair of hearing aids configured to communicate with themaster device during one or more first time slots in a Bluetoothconnection interval and to communicate directly with each other duringone or more second time slots within the Bluetooth connection interval,the first and second time slots non-overlapping in time.
 3. The systemof claim 2, wherein the pair of hearing aids are configured to receivean assignment of the one or more second time slots from the masterdevice.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the pair of hearing aids areconfigured to communicate with the master device using one or more firstfrequency channels allocated by the master device, to receive allocationof one or more second frequency channels allocated by the master device,and to communicate directly with each other using the one or more secondfrequency channels.
 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the pair ofhearing aids comprises a control circuit configured to assign the one ormore second time slots based on the one or more first time slots and atiming sequence.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the pair of hearingaids are configured to communicate with the master device using one ormore first frequency channels allocated by the master device accordingto a first frequency channel map and a first frequency hop sequence, andthe control circuit is configured to allocate one or more secondfrequency channels for the direct communication between hearing aids ofthe pair of hearing aids according to a second frequency channel map anda second frequency hop sequence.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein thepair of hearing aids are configured to communicate directly with eachother during the one or more second time slots using the Bluetoothprotocol.
 8. The system of claim 6, wherein the pair of hearing aids areconfigured to communicate directly with each other during the one ormore second time slots using a proprietary protocol.
 9. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the hearing aids of the pair of hearing aids areconfigured to communicate directly with each other using code divisionmultiple access (CDMA) technology.
 10. The system of claim 2, whereinthe hearing aids of the pair of hearing aids are configured tocommunicate directly with each other using time division multiple access(TDMA) technology.
 11. The system of claim 2, wherein the hearing aidsof the pair of hearing aids are configured to communicate directly witheach other using frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) technology.12. The system of claim 2, wherein the hearing aids of the pair ofhearing aids are configured to communicate directly with each otherusing orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) technology. 13.A method for operating a pair of hearing aids for wireless communicationin a hearing assistance system, the method comprising: communicatingwith a master device via one or more first wireless communication linksduring one or more first time slots within a Bluetooth connectioninterval using a Bluetooth protocol; and communicating directly witheach other of the pair of hearing aids via a second wirelesscommunication link during one or more second time slots within theBluetooth connection interval, the first and second time slotsnon-overlapping in time.
 14. The method of claim 13, comprisingreceiving allocation of one or more first frequency channels from themaster device, and wherein communicating with the master devicecomprises communicating with the master device using the one or morefirst frequency channels.
 15. The method of claim 14, comprisingreceiving an assignment of the one or more second time slots from themaster device.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein communicatingdirectly with each other comprises communicating directly with eachother during one or more second frequency channels allocated by themaster device.
 17. The method of claim 13, comprising assigning the oneor more second time slots using the pair of hearing aid based on the oneor more first time slot and a time sequence.
 18. The method of claim 17,comprising allocating one or more second frequency channels using thepair of hearing aids, and wherein communicating directly with each othercomprises communicating directly with each other using one or moresecond frequency channels.
 19. The method of claim 13, whereincommunicating with the master device comprises communicating with asmartphone.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein communicating with themaster device comprises communicating with a computer.
 21. The method ofclaim 13, wherein communicating with the master device comprisescommunicating with an audio streaming device.